Ashton Pittman
@ashtonpittman.bsky.social
News Editor @mississippifreepress.org •Writer 🖋️ •Film Shooter 📷 •Husband 🏳️🌈 •Pibble Dad 🐾 Opinions = mine
Pinned
Ashton Pittman
@ashtonpittman.bsky.social
· Nov 23
The mystery roll of film I developed yesterday turned out to be from my 2017 trip to Rodney, Mississippi—a ghost town on the banks of the Mississippi River that almost became the state capital.
Here you can see Rodney Presbyterian Church, whose façade is still damaged from a Civil War battle. 🧵
Here you can see Rodney Presbyterian Church, whose façade is still damaged from a Civil War battle. 🧵
Reposted by Ashton Pittman
Are you still massively against me breaking into your home and stealing all your stuff so I can sell it or have you moved more towards acceptance?
Is this platform still massively against AI or has it moved more towards acceptance?
November 26, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Are you still massively against me breaking into your home and stealing all your stuff so I can sell it or have you moved more towards acceptance?
Reposted by Ashton Pittman
A good one, but true. 💜 we don’t think or play small for the people of Mississippi.
Please give at MFP.ms/donate to help us keep growing and setting an example for other journalism in Mississippi and beyond as we’ve done for 23 years now.
Please give at MFP.ms/donate to help us keep growing and setting an example for other journalism in Mississippi and beyond as we’ve done for 23 years now.
November 26, 2025 at 6:22 PM
A good one, but true. 💜 we don’t think or play small for the people of Mississippi.
Please give at MFP.ms/donate to help us keep growing and setting an example for other journalism in Mississippi and beyond as we’ve done for 23 years now.
Please give at MFP.ms/donate to help us keep growing and setting an example for other journalism in Mississippi and beyond as we’ve done for 23 years now.
Reposted by Ashton Pittman
James Bond supervillains threaten to blow up the world with their big laser unless you pay them a trillion dollars.
Real American supervillains embed themselves in the economy and threaten to cause a depression unless you subsidize their sex robots and the weird chatbots they use to avoid humans.
Real American supervillains embed themselves in the economy and threaten to cause a depression unless you subsidize their sex robots and the weird chatbots they use to avoid humans.
November 26, 2025 at 7:25 PM
James Bond supervillains threaten to blow up the world with their big laser unless you pay them a trillion dollars.
Real American supervillains embed themselves in the economy and threaten to cause a depression unless you subsidize their sex robots and the weird chatbots they use to avoid humans.
Real American supervillains embed themselves in the economy and threaten to cause a depression unless you subsidize their sex robots and the weird chatbots they use to avoid humans.
Reposted by Ashton Pittman
LIBRARIES MAKE BOOKS ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYONE, she shouts, apparently inaudibly
WHY DO THESE "YOU'RE A CLASS TRAITOR" PEOPLE KEEP PRETENDING LIBRARIES DON'T EXIST?
ARE THEY CLASS TRAITORS WHO DON'T BELIEVE IN LIBRARIES?
WHY DO THESE "YOU'RE A CLASS TRAITOR" PEOPLE KEEP PRETENDING LIBRARIES DON'T EXIST?
ARE THEY CLASS TRAITORS WHO DON'T BELIEVE IN LIBRARIES?
Just saw someone claim that authors who want to be paid for their work are "class traitors" because we "only let the wealthy" read our books, and I think I need to go into the woods to scream into the night for a bit.
It's $5, not your first-born child! I need that $5 for health insurance!
It's $5, not your first-born child! I need that $5 for health insurance!
November 26, 2025 at 3:51 PM
LIBRARIES MAKE BOOKS ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYONE, she shouts, apparently inaudibly
WHY DO THESE "YOU'RE A CLASS TRAITOR" PEOPLE KEEP PRETENDING LIBRARIES DON'T EXIST?
ARE THEY CLASS TRAITORS WHO DON'T BELIEVE IN LIBRARIES?
WHY DO THESE "YOU'RE A CLASS TRAITOR" PEOPLE KEEP PRETENDING LIBRARIES DON'T EXIST?
ARE THEY CLASS TRAITORS WHO DON'T BELIEVE IN LIBRARIES?
Reposted by Ashton Pittman
Newly released emails show the FBI spent almost $1 million in overtime analyzing the Epstein files as part of an effort dubbed the “Special Redaction Project."
FBI’s Frantic Scramble to Redact Epstein Files Revealed
A trove of emails shows all-nighters and almost $1 million in overtime as Trumpworld debated releasing the Epstein files.
trib.al
November 26, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Newly released emails show the FBI spent almost $1 million in overtime analyzing the Epstein files as part of an effort dubbed the “Special Redaction Project."
Reposted by Ashton Pittman
Karoline Leavitt's brother says his only concern is for his son. The mother of his child can rot in hell.
I bet he wears a big shiny cross around his neck too.
I bet he wears a big shiny cross around his neck too.
"A woman with a family connection to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has been arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Revere, Massachusetts."
www.wcvb.com/article/karo...
www.wcvb.com/article/karo...
![REVERE, Mass. —
A woman with a family connection to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has been arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Revere, Massachusetts.
The woman, Bruna Ferreira, has an 11-year-old son with Michael Leavitt, Karoline Leavitt's brother.
Ferreira migrated with her family to the United States from Brazil as a child and is currently in custody at an ICE facility in southern Louisiana.
Michael Leavitt released a statement, saying that his "only concern has always been the safety, well-being, and privacy of [his] son."](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:x4qyokjtdzgl7gmqhsw4ajqj/bafkreiacyzixchgacpjse7wyra342opgjsvdxzqdrkxq55zzqah65zyeae@jpeg)
November 26, 2025 at 3:18 PM
Karoline Leavitt's brother says his only concern is for his son. The mother of his child can rot in hell.
I bet he wears a big shiny cross around his neck too.
I bet he wears a big shiny cross around his neck too.
Reposted by Ashton Pittman
The two Thanksgiving favorites have more in common than not. They're similar in color, taste and texture, and derived from European carrot pie. Those similarities make them all the easier to compare.
Sweet Potato or Pumpkin? The Thanksgiving Pie Debate
Which is the better Thanksgiving dessert: pumpkin or sweet potato pie? For most people, the answer likely depends on where they’re from.
buff.ly
November 26, 2025 at 5:06 PM
The two Thanksgiving favorites have more in common than not. They're similar in color, taste and texture, and derived from European carrot pie. Those similarities make them all the easier to compare.
Reposted by Ashton Pittman
Now here’s the kind of news you drop going into a long holiday weekend. Maybe no one will notice. 🤡
@nytimes.com
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/u...
@nytimes.com
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/u...
November 26, 2025 at 10:05 AM
Now here’s the kind of news you drop going into a long holiday weekend. Maybe no one will notice. 🤡
@nytimes.com
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/u...
@nytimes.com
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/u...
Reposted by Ashton Pittman
Mississippi deserves the full story.
Not spin.
Not shortcuts.
Not half-truths.
We ARE Mississippi Free Press, and we report with depth, accuracy and accountability across all 82 counties.
Right now, your gift is MATCHED dollar-for-dollar: buff.ly/brwARrQ
Not spin.
Not shortcuts.
Not half-truths.
We ARE Mississippi Free Press, and we report with depth, accuracy and accountability across all 82 counties.
Right now, your gift is MATCHED dollar-for-dollar: buff.ly/brwARrQ
November 21, 2025 at 11:34 PM
Mississippi deserves the full story.
Not spin.
Not shortcuts.
Not half-truths.
We ARE Mississippi Free Press, and we report with depth, accuracy and accountability across all 82 counties.
Right now, your gift is MATCHED dollar-for-dollar: buff.ly/brwARrQ
Not spin.
Not shortcuts.
Not half-truths.
We ARE Mississippi Free Press, and we report with depth, accuracy and accountability across all 82 counties.
Right now, your gift is MATCHED dollar-for-dollar: buff.ly/brwARrQ
Reposted by Ashton Pittman
This makes my blood run cold. I reported on the devastation of Katrina from the middle of destroyed rubble and people begging for FEMA help: www.mississippifreepress.org/editors-note...
November 26, 2025 at 12:30 AM
This makes my blood run cold. I reported on the devastation of Katrina from the middle of destroyed rubble and people begging for FEMA help: www.mississippifreepress.org/editors-note...
Reposted by Ashton Pittman
"Now, me to you, I know what it’s going to take to get a peace deal done: Donetsk and maybe a land swap somewhere."
-- Steve Witkoff, in his call to Putin aide Yuri Ushakov
Read the whole transcript of the Oct 14 call. It's amazing.
Gift link (for 7 days) ⤵️
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
-- Steve Witkoff, in his call to Putin aide Yuri Ushakov
Read the whole transcript of the Oct 14 call. It's amazing.
Gift link (for 7 days) ⤵️
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Witkoff Discusses Ukraine Plans With Key Putin Aide: Transcript
The following is a transcript of an Oct. 14 phone call lasting just over 5 minutes between Steve Witkoff, Donald Trump’s special envoy for peace missions, and Yuri Ushakov, Vladimir Putin’s most senio...
www.bloomberg.com
November 25, 2025 at 8:17 PM
"Now, me to you, I know what it’s going to take to get a peace deal done: Donetsk and maybe a land swap somewhere."
-- Steve Witkoff, in his call to Putin aide Yuri Ushakov
Read the whole transcript of the Oct 14 call. It's amazing.
Gift link (for 7 days) ⤵️
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
-- Steve Witkoff, in his call to Putin aide Yuri Ushakov
Read the whole transcript of the Oct 14 call. It's amazing.
Gift link (for 7 days) ⤵️
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Reposted by Ashton Pittman
Mark Kelly on Kimmel:
Says he found out about Trump calling for his death when he was in SCIF - where you can’t bring your phone - when an aide brought in a note to his senate colleague Elissa Slotkin saying “the President is calling for your execution.”
Says he found out about Trump calling for his death when he was in SCIF - where you can’t bring your phone - when an aide brought in a note to his senate colleague Elissa Slotkin saying “the President is calling for your execution.”
November 26, 2025 at 5:28 AM
Mark Kelly on Kimmel:
Says he found out about Trump calling for his death when he was in SCIF - where you can’t bring your phone - when an aide brought in a note to his senate colleague Elissa Slotkin saying “the President is calling for your execution.”
Says he found out about Trump calling for his death when he was in SCIF - where you can’t bring your phone - when an aide brought in a note to his senate colleague Elissa Slotkin saying “the President is calling for your execution.”
Reposted by Ashton Pittman
That is: truth.
We prefer blunt headlines over mealy-mouthed "he-said-they-said."
Broad legal precedence holds that just following orders, colloquially known as the “Nuremberg defense” as it was used unsuccessfully by senior Nazi officials to justify their actions under Adolf Hitler, doesn’t absolve troops.
November 26, 2025 at 12:54 PM
That is: truth.
Reposted by Ashton Pittman
Broad legal precedence holds that just following orders, colloquially known as the “Nuremberg defense” as it was used unsuccessfully by senior Nazi officials to justify their actions under Adolf Hitler, doesn’t absolve troops.
Trump Calls for Democrats to Be Put to Death for Accurately Describing Troops’ Constitutional Duties
Trump accused half a dozen Democratic lawmakers of sedition "punishable by DEATH" for calling on military members to uphold the Constitution.
buff.ly
November 25, 2025 at 11:45 PM
Broad legal precedence holds that just following orders, colloquially known as the “Nuremberg defense” as it was used unsuccessfully by senior Nazi officials to justify their actions under Adolf Hitler, doesn’t absolve troops.
Reposted by Ashton Pittman
Sen. Wicker has long been an ardent defender of Trump, opposing his first impeachment on charges that he attempted to extort Ukraine's president and his second impeachment on charges he incited an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
Wicker Rips Trump’s ‘So-Called Peace Plan’ for Russia, Ukraine
U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker said he is “skeptical” about the U.S.’s peace plan between Ukraine and Russia.
buff.ly
November 26, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Sen. Wicker has long been an ardent defender of Trump, opposing his first impeachment on charges that he attempted to extort Ukraine's president and his second impeachment on charges he incited an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
Reposted by Ashton Pittman
"Even though I got that verdict, it didn’t take the pain away. It didn’t take the sadness away. I feel that the system failed my daughter,” Tara Gandy said on Oct. 28. “But I wanted accountability. And I got that accountability.”
Annual Candlelight Vigil Remembers Victims of Domestic Abuse
The Mississippi Coalition Against Domestic Violence held a vigil in Jackson on Oct. 28 honoring men, women and children lost to domestic violence.
buff.ly
November 25, 2025 at 8:50 PM
"Even though I got that verdict, it didn’t take the pain away. It didn’t take the sadness away. I feel that the system failed my daughter,” Tara Gandy said on Oct. 28. “But I wanted accountability. And I got that accountability.”
Reposted by Ashton Pittman
Kamesha Mumford, a candidate for Mississippi Senate District 26, spoke with the Mississippi Free Press about issues ranging from rural fire departments, infrastructure and mental health courts ahead of the Dec. 2 special runoff election.
buff.ly/TlRvHpM
buff.ly/TlRvHpM
Q&A: Kamesha Mumford, Mississippi Senate District 26 Candidate
Kamesha Mumford, a candidate for the Mississippi Senate District 26, shared her views on the issues with the Mississippi Free Press.
www.mississippifreepress.org
November 26, 2025 at 12:14 AM
Kamesha Mumford, a candidate for Mississippi Senate District 26, spoke with the Mississippi Free Press about issues ranging from rural fire departments, infrastructure and mental health courts ahead of the Dec. 2 special runoff election.
buff.ly/TlRvHpM
buff.ly/TlRvHpM
Reposted by Ashton Pittman
Letitia Johnson, a candidate for Mississippi Senate District 26, spoke with the Mississippi Free Press about issues ranging from public safety, Jackson’s water system, data centers and more ahead of the Dec. 2 special runoff election.
buff.ly/hTghQxm
buff.ly/hTghQxm
Q&A: Letitia Johnson, Mississippi Senate District 26 Candidate
Letitia Johnson, a candidate for Mississippi Senate District 26 Senate, spoke with the Mississippi Free Press about issues ranging from public safety, JXN Water and data centers ahead of the Dec. 2…
www.mississippifreepress.org
November 26, 2025 at 12:00 AM
Letitia Johnson, a candidate for Mississippi Senate District 26, spoke with the Mississippi Free Press about issues ranging from public safety, Jackson’s water system, data centers and more ahead of the Dec. 2 special runoff election.
buff.ly/hTghQxm
buff.ly/hTghQxm
Reposted by Ashton Pittman
President Donald Trump’s chief envoy with the Russian government advised a senior aide to Vladimir Putin on how the Russian leader should pitch the U.S. president on a Ukraine peace plan favorable to Russia, according to a transcript of the call published by Bloomberg News.
US Envoy Coached Putin Aide on How Russian Leader Could Sell Trump on Peace Plan That Favors Russia
A U.S. envoy advised a senior aide to Vladimir Putin on how Putin should go about pitching Trump on a Russia-friendly Ukraine peace plan.
www.mississippifreepress.org
November 26, 2025 at 3:00 AM
President Donald Trump’s chief envoy with the Russian government advised a senior aide to Vladimir Putin on how the Russian leader should pitch the U.S. president on a Ukraine peace plan favorable to Russia, according to a transcript of the call published by Bloomberg News.
Reposted by Ashton Pittman
Deposition of Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino went off the rails at hello, transcript shows
Deposition of Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino went off the rails at hello, transcript shows
A full transcript of Cmdr. Gregory Bovino’s deposition has been made public in an ongoing lawsuit accusing federal immigration agents of routinely violating a restraining order on tactics in …
trib.al
November 26, 2025 at 12:17 AM
Deposition of Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino went off the rails at hello, transcript shows
We prefer blunt headlines over mealy-mouthed "he-said-they-said."
Broad legal precedence holds that just following orders, colloquially known as the “Nuremberg defense” as it was used unsuccessfully by senior Nazi officials to justify their actions under Adolf Hitler, doesn’t absolve troops.
Trump Calls for Democrats to Be Put to Death for Accurately Describing Troops’ Constitutional Duties
Trump accused half a dozen Democratic lawmakers of sedition "punishable by DEATH" for calling on military members to uphold the Constitution.
buff.ly
November 26, 2025 at 12:37 AM
We prefer blunt headlines over mealy-mouthed "he-said-they-said."
Reposted by Ashton Pittman
The council, appointed by Trump and made up almost exclusively by members from Republican-led states who support significant FEMA reforms, finished a draft report in early November of over 160 pages.
Kristi Noem's office shrunk it to 20 pages, alarming some council members.
Kristi Noem's office shrunk it to 20 pages, alarming some council members.
FEMA Reforms Bryant Helped Draft ‘Got Nuked’ in Favor of Cuts
A much-anticipated report on reforms to FEMA that former Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant helped draft has been whittled down in favor of drastic cuts.
buff.ly
November 25, 2025 at 8:01 PM
The council, appointed by Trump and made up almost exclusively by members from Republican-led states who support significant FEMA reforms, finished a draft report in early November of over 160 pages.
Kristi Noem's office shrunk it to 20 pages, alarming some council members.
Kristi Noem's office shrunk it to 20 pages, alarming some council members.
Reposted by Ashton Pittman
In recent days, Education Secretary Linda McMahon has started a public campaign for the end of her department, making the case on social media that Education's grantmaking and question-answering functions could be better handled by states and other federal agencies.
Trump Is Dismantling the Education Department: What That Means
The Education Department, which Trump vowed to dismantle, is breaking off several main offices and giving responsibilities to other federal agencies.
buff.ly
November 25, 2025 at 8:45 PM
In recent days, Education Secretary Linda McMahon has started a public campaign for the end of her department, making the case on social media that Education's grantmaking and question-answering functions could be better handled by states and other federal agencies.
Reposted by Ashton Pittman
To prevent this kind of tragedy:
*get a Tdap 💉during the 3rd trimester of every pregnancy
*vaccinate babies on AAP-recommended schedule
*ALL adults need TDap boosters every 10 years minimum (5 is better bc the pertussis part of 💉can wane sooner)
h/t @ashtonpittman.bsky.social
*get a Tdap 💉during the 3rd trimester of every pregnancy
*vaccinate babies on AAP-recommended schedule
*ALL adults need TDap boosters every 10 years minimum (5 is better bc the pertussis part of 💉can wane sooner)
h/t @ashtonpittman.bsky.social
Third unvaccinated Kentucky baby dies of whooping cough.
Pertussis, best prevented with a vaccine, has killed three Kentucky babies in the last 12 months.
kentuckylantern.com/2025/11/25/t...
Pertussis, best prevented with a vaccine, has killed three Kentucky babies in the last 12 months.
kentuckylantern.com/2025/11/25/t...
Third unvaccinated Kentucky baby dies of whooping cough • Kentucky Lantern
A third unvaccinated infant in Kentucky has died of pertussis as public health officials urge Kentuckians to get vaccinated against the disease.
kentuckylantern.com
November 25, 2025 at 10:30 PM
To prevent this kind of tragedy:
*get a Tdap 💉during the 3rd trimester of every pregnancy
*vaccinate babies on AAP-recommended schedule
*ALL adults need TDap boosters every 10 years minimum (5 is better bc the pertussis part of 💉can wane sooner)
h/t @ashtonpittman.bsky.social
*get a Tdap 💉during the 3rd trimester of every pregnancy
*vaccinate babies on AAP-recommended schedule
*ALL adults need TDap boosters every 10 years minimum (5 is better bc the pertussis part of 💉can wane sooner)
h/t @ashtonpittman.bsky.social
“It’s going to be a reverent sacred site. ... We hope to include as many voices in that process on how to take something where something so awful took place and turn it into a place with high reverence," says Emmett Till Interpretive Center Executive Director Patrick Weems.
Barn Where White Men Murdered Emmett Till to Be Preserved as a ‘Reverent, Sacred Site’
The barn in Drew, Miss., where two white men murdered 14-year-old Emmett Till in 1955 will be preserved as a “sacred site.”
www.mississippifreepress.org
November 25, 2025 at 10:07 PM
“It’s going to be a reverent sacred site. ... We hope to include as many voices in that process on how to take something where something so awful took place and turn it into a place with high reverence," says Emmett Till Interpretive Center Executive Director Patrick Weems.